tania howells

McCall's needlework and crafts - fall winter 1961- 62

Did I mention I love my job? I was labeling a bunch of our historic collection things when I came across this gem that I had never seen before. I totally want to make the march hare in the third picture down, with the groovy alison in wonderland quilt. There was too much in the magazine to show, including great yarn ads from the time and all sorts of bizarre crafts. Sigh.

Have a great weekend!

I had wanted to post these as actual buttons, but I have not been able to get my hands on them yet. So this is the digital file of 5 buttons I designed recently for Leaf Toronto. They are a great local organization "dedicated to the protection and improvement of Toronto's urban forest." These are five trees native to this region, who knew they were so happy to be here? I was so pleased to take part. So far they are not on the website, nor are they sure quite how to get them out to the people. I suggested I could somehow sell them here... but the logistics have not yet been ironed out! I can't wait to get my set and wear them around.

I almost forgot!

Check out these lovely collage scrap books -- Water Halo

My ice cream is talking to me- I almost popped this in my mouth, but I noticed the smiley face! It was such a cute thing to see. Who would have expected the vanilla part to do that. It is a message to keep smiling I guess. I went and got a pile of empty boxes this morning at the liquor store as well as a bunch of other little things that needed taking care of and I am a buzz with tension! I am trying to keep taking deep breaths - it is actually that good sort of exited tension. Last night I started to see a light at the end of the tunnel and my gloom that settled last week with the layoff announcement started to lift a bit. PHEW! We are ticking things off the massive house list, and that's before we even start packing!

I just ordered 1000 button parts for my button maker. The machine itself came with 500 parts and I really never expected to use them up, but there you go. I am bringing a few to The Rage, a cute shop in Kensington market that has groovy locally designed clothes. I went to make a batch of new ones for her and lo and behold only had enough parts to make 19 buttons. She asked for a refill of the last order about 2 months ago-oops! My mind is elsewhere, apologies!

Which reminds me of Laurels cute button on the month club!

My friend just sent me this disturbing link about the extent women's magazine images are photoshopped. Click the "retouch" button to see the changes. Frightful!

the comfortable arts

What better way to soothe a jittery heart than with knitting? I found the book Weekend Knitting at the library yesterday. It is a lovely book with not only nice patterns, like these sweet cotton chenille flower face cloths below, but a sugar cookie recipe, tips for a nice bath, and how to have a lovely cup of tea. It is a very comforting soothing book! I am pleased to have come across it just when I needed it.

After work yesterday I had some time to spare and found this pretty necklace.

I needed a little retail therapy too and this fit the bill as being only $2.99 on sale at Le Chateau. I love it because it looks like a candy, it was dirt cheap and I love this springy green. After that I treated Paul and I to some sushi - mmm. On our way home through the park with our bikes we ran into Max our favorite rock and roll priest. It is always a pleasant surprise to see Max- he has a way of making things seem ok and is such an open non-judgemental soul.

About the title of this post--
"The Comfortable Arts" is a book spine I see in the bookshelves at work and I have always liked the images it conjours up. The book is nice too but it's the title I appreciate - it's quiet, cozy and homey- just what I need today. I have been reading the paper and drinking tea, surrounded by the cats. Paul rented a movie and is cosy on the couch. It's raining. I started knitting a funny granny style slipper with some cheap acrylic a friend at work did not need - it is sort of cute. Tonight my mum comes home from a 3 month long trip in Mexico and next week my brother comes for a visit. We'll have a full house and I can't wait. I miss my family and don't like when they are so far away.

Thanks for all the words of comfort yesterday! It is true. I had not looked at it like that before- a door closing does mean a new door opens.

When I got in for my shift at work yesterday, I was told about the design layoffs that were announced that morning. These are my co-workers, people I deal with daily and I am so sad. At first I didn't understand who it affected and feared I was chopped too. By some grace of God, I am not, nor is my library. Still I have this horrid feeling of doom and fear which I guess is what happens when an axe falls this close to your toes. I of course burst into tears - having PMS made sure of that- and we made an early pot of tea. I am trying to utilize the saying "Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere."
When I walked over to meet Paul and I saw these lovely beds of daffodils flourishing under the austerity of the bank towers, it seemed a good photo and metaphor. If they can cheerfully bob away in the wind under the gloom of the financial district, then I can attempt, to quote Gracie and Jasper from the Dead Dog Cafe, "Stay Calm, Be Brave, Wait for the Signs".

My Kitty Craft Fabric came! I love it - so neatly packaged and with a free sample of a cute pink fabric as well! I was thinking i would make some sort of table mat but now I am not sure. The leaves would be a neat cuff on pants.

I was tidying up and packing my fabric stash, modest as it is, and I came across my jean skirt that was too tight. I had tried unsucessfully to open up the hips a bit, only to make the waist line a sort of wingy affair and having it still not fitting onto the hips. So I gave up and converted it to that thing all loved but unsalvagable clothes can become - the couch pillow. I wouldn't have bothered except last year I had attempted to jazz it up by sewing on these stripes on the left leg, a la Hable construction. I loved how the stripes looked but it didn't magically make my favorite skirt fit. So toss the skirt, save the stripes. To quote my mother "I like stripey things".

Just an aside- I know here in Canada, we long for the sun and warmer weather, but what is with the people pushing it and dressing like we are on an episode of the O.C.? To each his or her own and all that but it amazes me to see people flouncing around in short pants, skirts and flip flops, even as far back as a month ago. It's still cold people! Well, it is warmish, the high MIGHT be 20C today, but in the shade it is chilly. I am chilly, but heck, that's just me. I'll need socks for a bit longer- and thats ok.

Easter was nice. We had 4 days off in a row! Our good friends L and J came up for the weekend and it was so nice to hang around, go for walks and eat yummy food. Sometimes visitors are the best motivation to do nothing- otherwise I am always puttering around doing things. My landlady always leaves us a Potuguese Easter egg bread. Anyone know what it is called? It is delicious toasted with butter. I did not know what to do with the hardboiled ( baked? ) egg in the middle though! Nobody was brave or hungry enough to try it. I took a few things to donate to the thrift store on Monday afternoon and came home with this great bird tea towel - kids drawings of birds! ( click for a bit bigger) It was a bit hidden so I was lucky to find it. I love it. We also had a hurricane of activity Monday afternoon clearing out the huge closet in the bathroom, packing up the contents and assembling yet more junk to take to the goodwill or throw out. Man, I accumulate a lot of stuff. It is where I throw everything I don't know what to do with. Packing up this place is going to be a chore. Phew! I am glad I have gotten a hold on Tuesday. This morning I was all flustered, checking emails, getting my head back into what I have to accomplish this week, etc. Now after lunch I have crossed a number of things off the list and feel a bit more relaxed.

Mmm! Aran Cashmere from hip knits! Talk about a nice surprise- thank-you Kerrie! I want to make something special with it, perhaps something in this book. Maybe they have it at the library...or maybe something from the bizarre Bazaar pamphlet. I still have lots of the gorgeous silk and sock yarns from the first wonderful juicy box and now I need to a) learn to make socks and b) find a nice tank top-ish pattern to use the pretty peachypink silk yarn, that currently exists merely for my gazing and feeling it against my cheek pleasure.

textiles in the hood...

Thank-you all sooo much for your congratulations! It is a very exiting thing indeed. eek! There will definaltley be many updates and pictures to come.
:)

I may have stolen some thunder, because I know jen of toronto craft alert was thinking of posting about this too- forgive me! but I had to say something because I managed to catch this shop open on saturday.

I had read about Virginia Johnson in some snazzy fashion mag because her line of beach wear really took off. I didn't really put two and two together when we were walking home from our favorite Vietnamese Restaurant and I saw this shop beaming with lush colorful textile prints. It got me very exited and lo and behold, there are some beachy things there too. The printed fabric by the yard is what exited me, as well as the small things- bags, oven mitts and napkins made from the prints. I am always thrilled to see yummy fabrics- the selection in Toronto is not the greatest- and to find this close by was fun too!
If you live here, go check it out at 164 Ossington Ave. It appears to be open Saturdays, but you never know.

Tulips! A gift from our good friend Prisca, when we told her that -EEEEK!!!! We have bought a house! ( well, the bank bought it for us. ) That was the " a lot can happen when you take a break" that I mentioned before. It just HAPPENED! We came back from our little trip to the island, had a message from our agent to see a great place, we rushed over and put in an offer right away. All week we spent bargaining, going to banks, calling the broker, freaking out, fearing we would lose it, getting it inspected, waiting for financial approval and then finally getting it. Now it is sort of done - we have to deal with lawyer stuff, get insured, call an electrician and try and stay calm. We had truly begun to give up on the idea after seeing nearly 35 houses of questionable quality and repair. Or seeing houses so wonderful and so beyond our means that we became very gloomy. We get the keys May 31. I have to try and stay calm! I am almost afraid to talk about it! This is a good segue for you to read about it on Paul's new blog! He started it a month or so ago and he wants it to be about good people doing good things- how sweet- a boy after my own heart.

So more details to follow! I will say one thing, I have become consumed with the thoughts of making little newspaper seedling pots to sprout some wee flower plants! I got some cosmos, poppy and marigold seeds this weekend and the idea of my own tiny postage stamp garden- well, it's a dream.

I nearly finished another bear this weekend ( he still needs a scarf ), inspired to keep making more by the founder of the project , Amy. There are lots of little kids who need a bear, and I am getting much faster at making them.

easing on back...

Well hello there!
Thanks for all my break well wishings. Ahh I feel better. It is amazing what can happen when you take a break, but more on that later. For now I will show you a small project, some tiles, which I found in someone's trash last year and finally decided to decorate a bit. Don't know what I will do with them,but they look nice just on the table.
I will also show you some nice things I have seen-

Yamauchi Kauzaki via Drawn who I am just loving, especially the stuff at the top of the pile.

What Katie did, a sweet new blog about rug hooking (I love rug hooking!) knitting and living in a wilds of England.

This stunning photo of a cardinal which I keep gazing at. It is luminous!

This view of Toronto which we saw last weekend on Toronto Island.

We stayed one night a B&B and biked all over the island next day. It was still rather cold, but my nose got sunburned! It took all my strength ( well, not ALL ) to keep from stealing this pillow, and I found this treasure on the beach. This island is a little utopia and Paul and I strolled through the laneways of dreamy cottagey houses there. It is a hippie laid back vibe, no cars are allowed and kids run all over playing. The opposite end of the island is park. It is just lovely and only a 20 minute ferry ride from the heart of downtown!
In other scavenging news, this week I have also found a pink plastic flower bead and two round hematite beads. I love when the snow is gone. All the winters lost treasures are revealed!
Spring is surely here now, I hear robins again ( how I love their song!! ) and the days are longer since we put the clocks forward last week. So nice.